Preamble

The House—after the Adjournment on 2nd August, 1951, for the Summer Recess—met at Eleven o'Clock, notice having been given by MR. SPEAKER pursuant to Standing Order No. 112 (Earlier meeting of House in certain circumstances).

PRAYERS

[Mr. SPEAKER in the Chair]

DEATH OF A MEMBER

Mr. Speaker: I regret to have to inform the House of the death of Eric Martin Smith, Esq., Member for Grantham, and I desire on behalf of the House to express our sense of the loss we have sustained and our sympathy with the relatives of the honourable Member.

THE KING'S ILLNESS

The Prime Minister (Mr. Attlee): Mr. Speaker, since we last met we have all been under the shadow of a great anxiety in the illness of His Majesty the King, and I am sure that it would be fitting that the present Parliament should not end without an expression of our sympathy, our understanding, and of the loyalty of his faithful Commons to His Majesty the King.
I know that I speak for the whole House in expressing our sorrow and concern at the King's illness. I think there were few of us who realised when he was taken ill how serious this was. We have all been heartened by the success of the operation, and day by day the bulletins have been encouraging. We must all earnestly pray that that progress will be maintained and will lead to a speedy recovery.
Sir, since the King came to the Throne 15 years ago, he has shown the greatest sense of devotion to the onerous duties of his high office. I know how closely he follows everything that affects his subjects in this country and in the whole of the Commonwealth. He showed steadfast

courage in the dangers of war, he is showing an equal fortitude in enduring ill-health, and his qualities have endeared him to us all. His illness has aroused the sympathy of everyone in this country and, indeed, all over the world.
We can be thankful that he is supported by the loving care of Her Majesty the Queen and the Royal family and by the affection of all his people. Devotion to the Throne is not a matter of some mere constitutional necessity; it springs from a genuine and deep affection for the person of His Majesty. I know that everyone in this House feels deep sympathy with the Queen and the Royal Family, and we share with them the earnest hope that His Majesty may be restored to full health and vigour.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear.

Mr. Churchill: I associate myself and those who sit on this side of the House fully with the well chosen words which the Prime Minister has just used. We have all felt a very great and prolonged sense of anxiety since the full extent of the serious illness of His Majesty was made known; and he has certainly had the prayers of all his subjects in the ordeals through which he has passed.
It is quite true, as the Prime Minister said, that the Monarchy in this country does not depend only upon the Constitution, but it is upborne by the perennial and ever-flowing love of the people; and rarely has that been demonstrated more plainly and clearly than in the case of the present occupant of the Throne. He has had to bear years of very great anxiety and peril, and has shared to the full the ordeals to which his subjects were exposed.
We all sing often the National Anthem, but there is one word in it which seems to be singularly fitting to our present sovereign when we say "God save our noble King," for such he has always been. May we trust and pray that his health will be restored and his reign prolonged, and that he will always be in every sense the sovereign of all his peoples

Mr. Clement Davies: May I be associated, on behalf of my colleagues and myself, with what has been said so well by the Prime Minister and by the right hon. Gentleman? In every home not only throughout this country, but in


every home throughout the Commonwealth and Empire, there were heavy hearts when we heard of the serious illness of His Majesty the King. In every one of those homes we waited with deep anxiety, and we now express our profound gratitude at the success of the operation and the steady progress His Majesty is making towards recovery.
Their Majesties have year by year attracted to themselves a feeling which is far warmer, as the Prime Minister said, than loyalty. We have for them a deep, sincere and abiding affection. We know that they have dedicated themselves to their people, and we know that they have never spared themselves in their devotion.
In presenting our humble duty, we wish to assure Her Majesty the Queen, Her Majesty Queen Mary, Their Royal Highnesses the Princesses, and all the members of the Royal Family, of our sincere and heartfelt sympathy. There is in these anxious days, as the right hon. Gentleman has just said, a more fervent feeling in our thoughts and hearts as we repeat the words of the National Anthem. Our earnest prayer is: May God preserve the King and restore him in full health to his people.

Mr. Maclay: The National Liberals throughout the country and my colleagues in this House would wish me to join in this expression of loyal devotion to His Majesty the King. Our thoughts and prayers, like those of all the nation, are with His Majesty and with all the members of the Royal Family in their time of anxiety. If men and women in Scotland dare to claim a special warmth and sympathy for Her Majesty the Queen, it is only because we have a very natural feeling that we have a special right to do so. We hope and pray that His Majesty will make a rapid recovery to full health.

Earl Winterton: Speaking in my capacity as Father of the House, and on the precedents which have always taken place on an occasion of this kind when the Father of the House has spoken, I should like to associate myself with the

very eloquent observations made by the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Liberal Party and the Leader of the National Liberal Party.
I should like to go a step further. Those of us, on either side of the House, who have held office, who have been in a Cabinet, and who have come into official contact with His Majesty, have always enjoyed, in addition, the great advantage of His Majesty's personal friendship, which, if I may say so, is a very great honour, not only because of the great position which the King occupies, but because of his fine character and personality.
Speaking purely for myself, without consultation with anybody and without necessarily binding anybody, I confess, as one who has the honour of enjoying His Majesty's friendship, that I am concerned at the appalling strain which is placed upon the King himself and upon the members of his devoted family at the present time by the number of functions which they are expected to attend. They are infinitely greater in number than those which were expected of the then sovereign when I first entered this House in the reign of King Edward VII. This is obviously a delicate matter, which it would be most inappropriate for me to pursue further on this occasion, but I feel that I am justified in calling attention to it and that it is a matter which might well form the subject of consideration by His Majesty's advisers.

Mr. Speaker: As there is a minute or two before Black Rod comes, perhaps I might be allowed to say that, not knowing that anything was going to be said in the House of Commons about the King's illness, I, without authority, I admit, wrote to the King's Private Secretary and said that I thought it would be the wish of the present House of Commons to express sympathy with the Queen in the King's illness. I have received a letter from Sir Alan Lascelles, the King's Private Secretary, saying that the Queen asks me to thank hon. Members for their sympathy and their earnest wish for the King's early and complete recovery. I thought I would report that to the House.

PROROGATION

Message to attend the Lords Commissioners.

The House went; and, having returned,

Mr. Speaker: I have to acquaint the House that the House has been to the House of Peers, where a Commission under the Great Seal was read. The Lord High Chancellor, being one of the High Commissioners, delivered His Majesty's Most Gracious Speech to both Houses of Parliament, in pursuance of His Majesty's Commands as follows:

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons: My Lords and Members of the House of Commons:

My Ministers have continued to give the fullest support to the United Nations in the maintenance of international peace and security.

It is My earnest hope that the efforts which are being made to restore peace in Korea will be successful. Under the United Nations My Forces have continued to take a prominent part in the arduous campaign in that country. The land forces from the various Commonwealth countries have been grouped together to form the First (Commonwealth) Division. The heroic action of the First Battalion, the Gloucester Regiment, maintained the highest traditions of My fighting services and has been justly acclaimed throughout the world.

My Ministers deeply regret that, although they made earnest efforts to find a basis for discussion, success did not attend the recent negotiations for a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Soviet Union, France, the United States and the United Kingdom.

My Government, in association with the other Governments signatory to the North Atlantic Treaty, have accepted the necessity for making greatly increased provision for defence, and the consequent strengthening of My Forces is already becoming apparent. I pray that, with God's help, the defence programme will succeed in its purpose of averting war and laying the foundations of a lasting peace throughout the world.

My Government have watched with sympathy and interest the progress made in building up, within the wider framework of the North Atlantic partnership, a European community

in which Germany will play her part. My Government desire to establish a close association with this community at all stages of its development.

I welcome the appointment of General of the Army Eisenhower as Supreme Allied Commander, Europe. Units of My Forces have been placed under his command.

In order to increase the readiness of our defences, members of My Reserve and Auxiliary Forces have been recalled for periods of training of between fifteen days and three months, and for periods of service amounting in some cases to eighteen months.

My Ministers have tried to achieve by negotiation a solution of the unfortunate dispute which has arisen in connection with the oil industry in Iran, but these efforts, despite the help rendered by the President of the United States and his special representative, have so far been unsuccessful.

My Government, jointly with the Government of the United States, sponsored the Treaty of Peace with Japan which was signed by forty-eight nations at San Francisco on the 8th September. The Treaty was the result of a prolonged series of international consultations in which My Government in the United Kingdom and My Governments in other Commonwealth countries had played a leading part.

In Malaya further progress has been made in associating all communities with the administration of government and in furthering their welfare and prosperity. With the assistance of the peoples of Malaya and the civil administration, My troops have, with increasing success, continued their efforts to restore law and order and to bring communist banditry to an end.

The Prime Ministers of all the self-governing countries of the Commonwealth, or their representatives, met in London in January last to review the international situation and to consider what further positive action Commonwealth Governments could take to secure and preserve world peace. Since then, Ministers from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Southern Rhodesia have met in London to consider defence problems in regions of common con


cern, including the Middle East, and South African Ministers have met representatives of other interested Governments in Nairobi to consider defence facilities in Africa.

The increase in production, which has been among the outstanding achievements of this country since the war, has continued in the face of many difficulties. For this success great credit is due to work people and management throughout the whole range of industry, agriculture and commerce. Despite the obstacles caused by shortages of materials and the high prices of many imports, full employment has been maintained, our exports have continued at a high level and the rearmament programme has been further advanced.

During the past session My Ministers were able to announce that, in agreement with the United States Government, it had been decided to suspend further allotments of Marshall Aid which had been so generously given to us by the people of the United States.

In order to restrain the rise in living costs provoked by high import prices, measures have been taken, by the operation of price control and otherwise, to limit the rise in the prices of goods and services.

I regret that, largely because of higher import prices, the balance of payments, which was remarkably favourable last year, has become less favourable in recent months.

I warmly welcomed the State visits of Her Majesty The Queen of the Netherlands and His Royal Highness Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, Their Majesties The King and Queen of Denmark and His Majesty The King of Norway.

It gave me great pleasure to open in May last the Festival of Britain, in which the whole nation has displayed its talents and traditions in the arts and sciences. Despite the clouds which hang over the world, the celebrations throughout the land have given a powerful stimulus to the arts of peace and have provided opportunity for well-earned recreation of spirit. I am pleased that so many visitors from overseas have attended the Festival, which has thus contributed to international friendship and understanding.

My Ministers continue to attach importance to international co-operation and mutual aid in economic and social matters through the United Nations and other bodies. They welcomed delegates from Commonwealth and foreign countries to the tariff negotiations which were held last winter in Torquay, and have participated with other Commonwealth Governments in the plans for the economic development of South and South-East Asia. My Government continue to collaborate fully in the work of the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation.

My Ministers were glad to be able to exchange views at a meeting in London with My Ministers in other Commonwealth Governments concerned with the production of raw materials and the supply of manufactured goods, and to have the assistance of representatives from a number of Colonial territories in these deliberations.

My deep sympathy went out to My people in Jamaica when many parts of the island were devastated by a hurricane on the 17th August. My Ministers in the United Kingdom announced an immediate grant for relief.

Members of the House of Commons: Members of the House of Commons:

I thank you for the provision which you have made for the public services.

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons: My Lords and Members of the House of Commons:

Thanks to the determination of farmers and agricultural workers throughout a trying season, the programme for the expansion of the production of food at home has been carried on with unabated vigour.

An Act has been passed to extend the help given to farmers rearing livestock in upland areas.

My assent has also been given to a measure providing for the restoration to agriculture and other useful purposes of land broken up by the opencast working of ironstone.

Legislation has been passed to establish a White Fish Authority with powers to reorganise, develop and regulate the white fish industry; and a new scheme has been approved conferring wider powers on the Herring Industry Board.

New provisions have been enacted for ensuring the purity of the rivers and other inland or coastal waters. An Act has also been passed to increase the contributions which may be made from the Exchequer towards the cost of schemes for rural water supply and sewerage.

My Government were gratified by the response which they received to their appeal for extra output from the coal mines. Higher levels of industrial production have, however, greatly increased the demand for fuel and power; and My Ministers have taken, and will continue to take, all practicable steps to encourage the recruiting of more miners, and to increase the supply of fuel, electricity and other forms of power and ensure their more efficient use.

Both sides of industry have recognised the need to remove obstacles to increased production and, with the full agreement of employers and work-people, provision has been made to postpone the restoration of pre-war trade practices in industry.

The war-time measures for the prevention and settlement of trade disputes have been withdrawn and replaced by provisions more appropriate to peace-time conditions.

Legislation which will be of great benefit to a large number of My People has been passed to augment retirement pensions and the provision for widowed mothers and for children under the National Insurance Acts. National Assistance scales have been increased and improvements made in certain supplementary allowances paid to war pensioners.

Increases have been granted in the retired pay and pensions of My Regular Forces.

An Act has been passed to safeguard the civil interests of My Reserve and Auxiliary Forces.

Provision has been made for the setting up of a Courts-Martial Appeal Court to hear appeals against convictions by courts-martial.

My Ministers have continued to develop the organisation of the Civil Defence Services and have been in consultation with representatives of

industry and commerce about civil defence in industrial and commercial undertakings.

I gave My assent to legislation to make temporary provision for the protection of the occupiers of certain classes of leasehold property in Great Britain.

An Act was passed which extends the powers and duties of the Forestry Commissioners to establish and maintain adequate reserves of growing trees.

A measure has been passed to provide more effective means of dealing with the poaching of salmon and trout in Scotland.

Further sums were made available for the development of the Colonial territories and the welfare of My peoples there.

Progress has been made in the consolidation of the Statute Law.

I pray that the blessing of Almighty God may attend you.

Then a Commission for proroguing the Parliament was read; after which the Lord Chancellor said:

"My Lords and Members of the House of Commons:

By virtue of His Majesty's Commission under the Great Seal, to us and other Lords directed, and now read, we do, in His Majesty's name and in obedience to His Majesty's Commands, prorogue this Parliament to Tuesday, the Twenty-third day of October, One Thousand Nine Hundred and Fifty-one, to be then here holden; and this Parliament is accordingly prorogued until Tuesday, the Twenty-third day of October, One Thousand Nine Hundred and Fifty-one."

End of the Second Session (opened 31st October, 1950) of the Thirty-ninth Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, in the Fifteenth Year of the Reign of His Majesty King George the Sixth.

[A Proclamation by the King dissolving the Parliament, and summoning the new Parliament to meet on Wednesday, 31st October, 1951, was published on Friday, 5th October, 1951.]